Motor-vehicle signal



Feb. 10, 1925.

C. B. PORTER MOTOR VEHICLE SIGNAL Filed March 15 gwwmtoz Viz Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES CHARLESB. PORTER, OF AMARILLO, TEXAS.

MOTOR-VEHICLE SIGNAL.

Application filed March 15, 1922. Serial No. 543,924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. Pon'rnn,

residing at Amarillo, county of Potter, and

State of Texas, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Motor-Vehicle Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signals mounted on or carried by automobiles or other motor vehicles which are used to give notice of the stopping or turning movements by the driver of the car, and my object is to provide a signal for this purpose which when in non-using position is very compact and which nevertheless when exhibited to View will have ample size, and whose operation may very easily be effected by the driver or other car occupant. My invention consists in the signal having the characteristics of construction described by or included within the terms or scope of the appended claims.

In the annexed drawings forming a part of this specificationz Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a signal embodying my invention, the parts in full lines being shown in non-signalling position and in dotted lines in signalling position;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof the full line positions showing the signal displayed;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 1 is a section on the line H of Fig. 2.

In the form in which I prefer to embody my invention, the signal device has the form or contour of a human hand and is made up of a series of strips each corresponding with a finger of the hand and an alining portion of the palm, which strips when the signal is in. display position extend alongside of one another giving the appearance of a fully opened hand andwhich when in non-display position overlie one another so that they require no more room than the width or substantially the width of a single strip in one direction and in the other direct-ion the thickness of sheet metal multiplied by the number of strips so that while when in a signalling position the device has the amplitude of area of a stretched out wide open hand. in non-signalling position it is so folded or collapsed as to be most inconspicuous, and when folded or collapsed is contained in a neat box or casing mounted on the side ofthe car and which is barely no ticeable.

Referring now in detail to what is shown in the drawings, 10 designates a slender Vertical box or casing suitably secured at a convenient position on the exterior of the car body whose outer side, 11, is hinged or pivoted after the fashion of a box cover so that it may swing to and fro to open and close the box and it is spring-held in closed position and automatically moved to closed position by the action of such spring when any force acting to hold it open ceases to act. Thus a coil spring, 12, is attached at one end'to a stationary wall 01' side of the box and at the other end to the hinged side, 11. The strips, 13, which respectively correspond with the fingers and the alining portions of the palm of the hand are pivoted each at its inner end to the forward vertical wall of the box or casing on the inside there of, the pivots, 15, being placed one above another in a vertical row, so that when such strips are swung to a horizontal position,

one strip will extend alongside of another in a vertical series with the edges of adjacent strips barely overlapping and thus present the appearance of an open hand as shown in the drawings in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 2, and when such strips are swimg to a vertical posit-ion, one will lie back of another and all be contained in the box or casing and within limits no wider than the width of any one strip. The strips are pivoted within the box towards the upper end so that when in a closed or collapsed or folded position the strips will hang downward from their respective pivots and thus gravity is utilized to cause the folding inward into the box or casing, thus making it necessary to exert power only to move the strips to exposed position which arrangement makes for a simplified structure. For swinging the strips outward and upward to a horizontal posit-ion the topmost strip which corresponds with the thumb of the hand has attached to it one end of a. cord or chain, 16, which after passing over the guide roller, 17, and through a small hole, 18, in the car body is attached at its other end within the car to a lever, 19, that is pivoted by suitable means to the inside of the car and which by being swung downward draws upon the chain and thereby swings the upper stri'p upward, and as provided to hold the hand-forming strips,

in the horizontal position to which they are swung by the lever, which means may bear spring fork, 20, between the arms of which the lever when moved to a vertical position lies. To unlatch the lever and permit the.

gravity folding of the hand-forming fingers, it is necessary merely to move the lever far enough tofree it from the latch device. It will be seen that the operation of displaying the signal and releasing it can bequickly performed.

The connection between the series of handforming strips by which movement from one is impartedto the other and which allows the collapse or folding thereof consists of a loop, 21, on one strip which engages witha loop, 22, on the adjacent strip, the engaging loops beingso arranged as to allow relative movement of adjacent strips from positions where one lies over another to a spread apart position where their edges are practically adjacent.

The hinge of the swinging cover, ll, is on the edge of the forward wall to which the hand forming strips are pivoted so that when such strips are swung outward they will press against the inner side of said hinged cover and swing it to an open posi tion, and preferably the inner. surface of such cover is painted withsome striking color -and the surfaces of the hand-forming strips are similarly painted so that by the exhibition of the colored surfaces of cover and hand, the signal is rendered very conspicuous and the open cover becomes a part of the signal or warning means.

To illuminate the exposed signal forming surface at night, an incandescent lamp, 28,

is placed in the box orcasing adjacent the inner end of the hand-forming strips and the topmost strip has attached to it a switch,

2a, which cuts the lamp into circuit when the hand is opened out and projects horizontally the circuit being automatically broken whenthe hand-forming strips swing downward and fold into the box or casing.

Preferably, on the surface of the strips which is exposed to vehicles approaching from the rear I print the word Stop; and

.onitheuforward exposed surface I print the word Turn.

While I prefer the details of construction shown in the drawings, and which I have shown and described,it is to be understood that I do not restrict my invention thereto as changes in construction may be. made which willinvolve no departurefron'i my invention What I claim is:

1. Asignal device comprising a signal elementpivoted to swing bet-ween. concealed and display positions, an operating lever pivoted to swingso that it. extends downward from its pivotwhen the. signal member is swung to. display position, a fiexibleconnection between said lever and said signal member, a support over which suchflexible connection passes situated. in line with the leverwhenit extends downward from its pivot, .and a latch device. to hold said lever in .its downwardly extending position, the pull of the .flexibleconnection on the lever when the lever is in its downwardly extending. position. beingagainst the lever pivot.

2. ,A signal. device comprising covering means, a series of strips pivoted at one, end adjacent, one another within such covering means,operative means for simultaneously swinging said strips from a vertical position to an. outwardly projecting position, said covering means comprising a hinged member. in the path of movement of said strips when swung in an outward position and engaged. bysaid strips and swung upon its hinge as the strips move outward, and a spring that normallymoves the hinged memher to a closed position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

CHARLES E. PORTER. 

